Latest statistics from the wonderful world of Facebook show that teenagers are not really concerned about privacy at all. They share, like and comment on everything on Facebook.
The latest
relaxation of the lifting of sharing restrictions on Facebook for 13 – 17 year
olds has got parents worried. They fear that cyber bullying may become even
more of a problem than it is now.
That is the
view of the parents. But what about the teenagers? What do they feel about
privacy and is their idea of privacy different from ours?
The American
Life Project reported just a few months ago that the figures for
sharing among teenagers is quite alarming. They targeted that very group that Facebook is
now relaxing its restrictions. For example they found that:-
- no problem about sharing photos – 91% do it
- like sharing videos too – around 25%
- vast majority post their real name – around 90%
- birthdays are also shared – over 80%
- school they go to and their town – around 70%
- birthdays are also popular – about 80% have no issues about this one
- cell phone numbers are shared but that is only about 20%
- around half of them will share their email address
In the UK, the figures and trends are
following a similar pattern to those in the States. The case of Paris Brown who lost a £15,000 a
year job as a youth police commissioner should be borne in mind.
She was
forced to resign after her Twitter comments (made when she was aged between 14
and 16) were found to be racist, homophobic and violent. The alarming fact is that her Twitter account
was not included in the vetting process before she was offered the job.
The
teenagers’ idea for privacy is not so much to do with sharing actual data as
the above figures show. They are not worried that future employers or others
may use the data against them in a not so distant future.
Their
management of privacy settings is easy for them and about 60% said that they
were managing this quite well and that they were able to ban people and delete
posts and so on.
Their real
worry is not about companies or government agencies gathering hard data about
them but what their inner circle may actually see on their profile. Many of the
profiles contain lies so they are much more worried about the figures of
authority who are around them such as parents and teachers. There could be
consequences for them down the line and that is their main concern.
Strategies teens use
on the Internet
- about 25% admitted to using a false name
- information is often coded so that prying parents are kept in the dark
- inside terminology and jargon allow them to communicate with each other
- in jokes are used a lot
These
strategies show that teenagers are keenly aware of some of the privacy issues
but their priority is to be seen hanging out with the right group of friends
and looking for peer acceptance. They are aware of how this information may be
used against them so they will delete tags when they see fit.
The use of
snapchat is encouraging in that any pictures and videos sent will be deleted
automatically after a certain time frame which they can set.
So, the
picture is not all bleak, fortunately. Teens are aware of the need for privacy
and would put that first if there was to be a choice about finding about anti-terrorist
groups. Interesting!
